Yesterday, I had an awful food day.

In the morning, my father stopped by to go over some details about the house and the mortgage and the will, etc....we ended up arguing. I was eating a scrambled egg when he arrived, and of course then I was so upset I coulndt fini**** My stomach was just in knots.

I sipped my protein shake through the rest of the morning, and at lunch, managed about 1T of salmon but again, felt sick-ish afterwards. I just drankw ater for the rest of the day.

My honey made spaghetti for supper so I just took a bit of sauce and whizzed it up a bit....I dont know if it was too chunky or if I ate too fast or too much (I measured out 1/2c but didnt eat it all) but it just felt "stuck"

So I went to lie down for a bit and when I got up, I felt even worse. I thought for sure I was going to vomit....then I had visions of my staples exploding from the pressure and just couldnt allow myself to do it....it was horrible. It lasted about an hour. I sipped V-E-R-Y slowly on some water and finally felt a bit better....

Now today, I'm a bit afraid to eat :(

I guess my question is, was it because I started my day badly? or was it just the sauce didnt agree with me? I dont think it was dumping because I dont think I had any of the heart racing or weakness feelings others have described....just a "stuck" feeling and feeling icky.

 Strangely enough, spaghetti sauce doesn't agree with me either. My dietitian says beef, even finely ground, is notoriously hard to digest for post-ops. So that's why I figure it didn't sit well with me. It sits like a hard, hot rock, and I just want to throw it back up, but I can't manage it. 

After I had that scenario, I went back to mostly liquids the next day. Soups, yogurt, etc. Out of fear. Plain and simple. 

it doesnt sound like dumping, just sounds like you didnt tolerate the food well. Could be because of the stressful start to your day. Sick and icky goes along with a stressed tummy.

Stick to plain, basic things. Yogurt, your protein shake, if that's all youre not 'afraid' to try. Take care of yourself, Sirene. 

big hugs.

At a couple of weeks out (as you are now), my ability to tolerate food was very unpredictable.  One day something would be ok, and the next it wouldn't.  It took a few months before I could predict what would sit well in my new pouch.

Just take it easy today, make sure you get in your protein shakes and liquids, chew like crazy and eat very slowly if you decide to try soft food today.  One more thing:  substituting ground turkey for ground beef in spaghetti sauce (and pretty well anything else that calls for ground beef) works really well; tastes great and is much easier to digest.

I hope you have an easier day today!

 Hi Jennifer

Sorry to hear you had a bad day!  It is tough to go thru what you are going thru. I had my appointment with Aspen and was asking her all kinds of questions. She was really great. I was scared I was wrecking my pouch and she told me you really have to work hard to do that. Also, right now, we are really learning to eat all over again. Trial and error. I have not been watching the amount of sugar so I have to smarten up! I was just reading about an oatmeal post while I was eating the wrong one!! Mine was the quaker pre packaged peach one which tasted good, but full of sugar! So more protein shakes for me! I dont like them, but I guess I just have to do them.

Give yourself some time for things to work out as you are under much stress right now. It's a process right! 

Take it easy, watch a funny movie to help.

Carla

It might have had something to do with how your morning started - emotions can play havoc with our insides as well.  Your reaction to the spaghetti dinner might have been the spaghetti itself.  I can't handle 'regular' (white) pasta but whole wheat works fine.

And you're still freshly out, so your going to have lots of experiences of good and bad days.  I am at 4 months out.  Just keep trying, and retrying, as you get better and better.

Take it easy today with your eating (light and bland) and you should be fine.  Right now your tummy's trying to learn how to deal with it's new form.  I'm still doing trial and error.  I also find timing can be a big factor.  What I can't eat first thing, I can eat later in the day.  You've also been through a lot lately, and that can make any tummy weird, and change your appetite.

The spaghetti sauce may have been part of it, your tummy saying not yet, but it could also be part stress.  Maybe hold off on the sauce for a couple weeks and try it again.  I wouldn't give up on it yet.

Cathy

I hope you have greater success today with your eating.  It is amazing how stress comes out in physical symptoms at times.

I remember asking the dietician if I could puree some vegetable soup that my mom had made and make it like a puree.

She advised against it because of the fibres in the veggies and the acidic content.  Not so much from a texture perspective.     Is our body able to break down the content in a the spagetti sauce? 

I'd think that starting off a bit 'rough' is a contributing factor...

Hey Jen,

I think I would probably stay away from beef altogether for awhile (ground, or otherwise) as it isn't the easiest to digest. Maybe try to get your protein from other sources. For example, fish (canned tuna, canned salmon, soft fish like tilapia, etc.), yogurt, your protein shakes. Also, tomatoes are quite acidic, so that probably didn't help.

I think your "bad food day" is likely a combination of the stress and then the spaghetti sauce.

Take care and big hugs,
Karen